Our New Home and A New School Year

After a week of trying to get my sister Ameli into Pedro Luis Calero, a Catholic school run by ‘las monjitas’ (the nuns), we finally managed to sign her up and send her off. In the process, my mother found herself with a new job as an English teacher at the very same school. Today was the second day of school for both and it has already been quite the experience.

The first day was only a couple hours long and was largely occupied by a church service that culminated in the priest blessing lollipops for the students that would be attending the school.

Today Ameli went to school with her normal uniform that she will have to wear for part of the week. She has a tracksuit that she wears on Fridays and a more formal outfit that she has to wear on Mondays. Even my mother has to go to school in uniform, which changes depending on the day of the week.

I realize now that I said I was going to do a house tour of sorts so here it is.

This is the outer view of the property that my father was born and raised on and its where the family uniform and sweater business has operated out of for the past forty years or so.

My abuelita stands in the front of the shop, all sorts of uniforms piled about with everything from sweaters to socks to pleated skirts lining the walls.

This is where uniform patches are embroidered and personalized. Its also where I spend a lot of my time, sorting skirts and cutting stray threads from the embroidery.

This wall bears the names of many family members, carved into the brick through the years. My sister and I carved our names into it about six years back.

Behind the shop lies ‘La Piedra.’ This is where all the clothes used to be washed before the family invested in a washing machine.

You can see the old house (the brick building in the foreground) and the new house (the gray building in the background) in this shot. Extended family of my tía Sole lives in the old house right now.

This is the tunnel that goes underneath the old house and leads to the newer part of the property.

This part of the property was started about six years ago and was finally finished this year. There are four stories and a terrace.

Part of the lower level is currently being rented out, another part contains sewing machines and thread, and the outer area is usually infested with playing children. The second floor belongs to my abuelos and the youngest son, my tío Gabriel. The next floor is occupied by my tía Sole and tío Diego and their children Noemy, Paula, and Elías. The fourth floor is ours and was finished up just this year, along with the terrace.

On my way up the stairs today I ran into Kiara, my tío Gabriel’s kitten. She’s very feisty and loves to chase stray pieces of string.

A lively game of Pokemon was played today in our living room (I’m pretty sure Andrés won).

In the background, this is the photo that is hanging on the wall. You may recognize these two midgets since they happen to be myself and Zethan. This photo was taken at our aunt’s wedding and it is one of the many photos that adorn the walls of our floor.

Ameli was helping out with lunch today in our kitchen, chopping potatos for lunch. Lunch usually consists of some type of soup followed by a main course and fresh juice.

Ameli, Kelpi, and I share the largest room of the house and we even have our own bathroom. It’s nice and cozy though going to bed can be somewhat chaotic.

Speaking of chaotic, as I am writing this post at my cousins’ dining table, the kitchen is a flurry of activity. My aunt and the rest of the crew are in the process of making 150 chocolate cupcakes for a project of Noemy’s. Yesterday, 200 cupcakes were made to sell as well, all of the proceeds going towards the spaying/neutering of cats. Another random project in the new Llumiquinga home and an interesting start to the school year.

– Korayma